Governor linkage for internal combustion engines



1966 J. PIGEROULET 3,226,990 I GOVERNOR LINKAGE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Sept. 17, 1962 United States Patent O 3,226,990 GOVERNOR LINKAGE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Jean Pigeroulet, Lyon, France, assignor to Societe Industrielle Generale de Mecanique Appliquee S.I.G.M.A., Pan's, Seine, France, a corporation of France Filed Sept. 17, 1962, Ser. No. 223,894 Claims priority, application France, Sept. 19, 1961,

873,630, Patent 1,307,994 2 Claims. (Cl. 74110) The present invention relates to regulation devices for internal'combustion engines, of the kind which act on the rate of flow of the fuel admitted to the engine over two extreme ranges of speed of the said engine (idling speed and maximum speed) whereas the operator acts alone on the flow-rate, through the intermediary of the accelerator control member, over the whole range of intermediate speeds. These devices are generally known as minimum-maximum regulators.

Itis known that the travel of the above-mentioned control member (generally constituted by a pedal) is divided into two parts. The first part corresponds to the idling speed range of the engine and the operator has only little control over the speed, while the second portion corresponds to the intermediate range of speeds, that is to say to the normal utilization of the engine, and the operator .is in complete control of the speed over this range.

The invention has for its object to construct these regulating devices in such manner that they permit the amplitudes of the two portions above-defined of the travel of the accelerator control member to be regulated with respect to each other, generally with the object of increasing the amplitude of the second portion with respect to that of the first portion.

The invention consists mainly of the devices of the kind referred to--and at the same time in arranging on the one hand the transmission provided between the active element of the regulator (preferably centrifugal) and the regulating member for the flow-rate of fuel (toothed rack), so that it comprises the lever pivoted about an intermediate shaft and coupled at its two extremities to the two above-mentioned members respectively, thus imparting to the second said member (or to a part coupled to the said member) a movement of translation parallel to that of the first member (or of a part coupled to said first member) but in the opposite direction, and on the other hand, the accelerator control is arranged in such manner that it moves the said shaft transversely-in causing the said control to act on the said shaft through the intermediary of a rotary cam and in guiding the said shaft by means independent of the said cam, so that it is possible to give the cam any desired profile whatever and thus to regulate mutually the amplitudes of the portions of the travel of the accelerator control member (or the amplitudes of the portions of the angular travel of the cams) which correspond respectively to the idling speed and to the normal running speed of the engine.

The invention will however be more clearly understood by means of the description which follows below with reference to the accompanying drawings, the said description and drawings being understood to be given particularly by way of indication and without implied limitation.

FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings show a regulation device constructed in accordance with the invention, respectively in cross-section taken along the line II of FIG. 2, and partly in elevation and partly in cross-section through the axis of the regulator.

FIG. 3 shows a detail of FIG. 2 to a larger scale.

According to the invention, in the construction of a 3,226,990 Patented Jan. 4, 1966 regulating device with a centrifugal regulator, the following or similar method may be adopted.

Firstly, as regards the regulator, this is constituted in any appropriate manner such that it comprises a rotary plate 1 driven at a speed proportional to the engine speed and which is pushed by centrifugal weights (not shown) towards the right hand side of FIG. 2, with a force which increases as the speed increases. This force is transmitted by a bearing 2 to a plate 3 which forms the active member of the regulator, and which is adapted to slide in the shaft of the plate 1 without however rotating about the said shaft, and it is balanced by two springs or systems of springs, generally helicoidal, which come into action successively. The first spring 4 acts continuously on the plate 3 while being interposed between the bottom 3a of this plate and a fixed ring 5, whereas the second spring 6 is compressed between a fixed ring 7 and a ring 8 which is slidably mounted on a rod 9, coaxial with the plates 1 and 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the ring 8 can be displaced through a distance d from the bottom 3a of the plate 3.

Now with regard to the member for regulating the flow offuel, this is constituted for example. by a rod consisting of a toothed rack of known type, associated with an injection pump (not shown) which supplies .the engine. This toothed rack is mounted so as to be capable of sliding parallel to the axis of the plates 1 and 3. The flow-rate of the fuel diminishes when the rack is moved towards the left of FIG. 2.

Now as regards the transmission established between the active member or plate 3 of the regulator and the toothed rack 10, this is arranged in such manner as to be provided with a lever 11 pivoted about a pivot 12 and coupled as its two extremities to the plate 3 and to the toothed rack 10 respectively.

To this end, the lever 11 is terminated by two forked members 13 in which are engaged lugs or rollers 14 carried by the plate 3 and the toothed rack 10.

Finally, as regards the accelerator control, this is consti-tuted by a pedal (not shown) coupled to a lever 15 keyed on a shaft 16 parallel to pivot 12, this lever being arranged so as to displace pivot 12 as will be explained below.

When the engine is working and the operator does not act on the accelerator control, the members occupy the positions shown in FIG. 2, the ring 8 being moved away from the bottom 3a of the plate 3. The regulation is efiected by the action of the spring 4 only, and the engine rotates at its idling speed.

In order to bring the engine up to its normal working speed, the operator must first cause the lever 15 to rotate over a first portion of its travel, thus displacing pivot 12 towards the right of FIG. 2 sufficiently for the plate 3a to come into contact with the ring 8 after compression of the spring 4. It is only after this that he can act in a positive manner on the speed of the engine, since at this moment, the spring 6 which is compressed by construction between its rings 7 and 8, opposes any sliding movement of the plate 3. When the operator has caused the lever 15 to pass over the second portion of its travel, the speed eventually becomes sufiicient for the force developed by the regulator to overcome the action of the two springs 4 and 6 so that the regulator may again be operative in limiting the speed of the engine.

In the forms of construction known at the present time, pivot 12 has in general been mounted in the manner of an eccentric on the shaft 16, which imposed given amplitudes of the two portions of travel above-mentioned, such that the accelerator pedal must have a considerable idle travel corresponding to the range of the idling speed, thus reducing to a corresponding extent the useful travel of the pedal.

In order to obviate this disadvantage, in accordance with the invention the accelerator control is caused to act on pivot 12 of the lever 11 through the intermediary of a rotary cam 17 keyed on the shaft 16, and pivot 12 is guided by means which are independent of the said cam or of its shaft.

These means comprise a lever 18 which can pivot about a shaft 19 parallel to pivot 12 and which carries this latter, the shaft 19 being so located that pivot 12 can move practically parallel to the directions of displacement of the plate 3 and the toothed rack 10. Pivot 12 carries a roller 20 which is held in contact with the cam 17 by a spring 21 acting on the lever 18.

The active portion of the cam 17 is preferably constituted by a zone 17a having a steep slope (that is to say a high ratio between the lift a and the angle A at the centre), corresponding to the idling speed range, and by a zone 17b with a moderate slope (that is to say with a small ratio of the lift b to the angle B at the centre), corresponding to the range of normal utilization.

It can thus be seen that the idle travel of the accelerator, which may be expressed in terms of the angle A, .can be made as small as possible, which correspondingly increases the useful travel, expressed in terms of the angle B. The control of the engine is thus very considerably facilitated.

It will of course be understood, and this furthermore will already have been apparent from the foregoing description, that the invention is in no way limited to any of its forms of application nor to the forms of embodiment of its various parts which have been more particularly considered; on the contrary, the invention includes all its alternative forms.

What I claim is:

1. For use with an internal combustion engine having a frame, a regulating device Which comprises, in combination, a fuel feed rate control rod slidable longitudinally, a governor including a part slidable parallelly to said rod, a lever having its ends pivotally and slidably connected with said rod and said governor part, respectively, a pivot for said lever perpendicular to the plane defined by said rod and said lever, a second lever pivoted to said frame about an axis parallel to said pivot, said pivot being carried by said second lever, a manually controllable shaft parallel to said pivot journalled in said frame, and a cam fixed to said shaft and adapted to cooperate with said pivot for controlling the position thereof.

2. For use with an internal combustion engine having a frame, a regulating device which comprises, in combination, a fuel feed rate control rod slidable longitudinally, a governor including a part slidable parallelly to said rod, a lever having its ends pivotally and slidably connected with said rod and said governor part, respectively, a pivot for said lever perpendicular to the plane defined by said rod and said lever, a roller mounted on said pivot coaxially therewith, a second lever pivoted to said frame about an axis parallel to said pivot, said pivot being carried by said second lever, a manually controllable shaft parallel to said pivot journalled in said frame, a cam fixed to said shaft and adapted to cooperate with said roller for controlling the position of said pivot, and spring means between said second lever and said frame for urging said roller against said cam.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,539,738 1/1951 Grim et al. 123-l40 2,870,651 1/1959 Lasek 74-522 3,032,854 5/1962 Bruyere 74-58 X FOREIGN PATENTS 881,985 2/1943 France. 892,598 l/ 1944 France.

BROUGHTON G. DURHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. FOR USE WITH AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE HAVING A FRAME, A REGULATING DEVICE WHICH COMPRISES, IN COMBINATION, A FUEL FEED RATE CONTROL ROD SLIDABLE LONGITUDINALLY, A GOVERNOR INCLUDING A PART SLIDABLY PARALLELLY TO SAID ROD, A LEVER HAVING ITS ENDS PIVOTALLY AND SLIDABLY CONNECTED WITH SAID ROD AND SAID GOVERNOR PART, RESPECTIVELY, A PIVOT FOR SAID LEVER PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE 